Israel will do 'whatever is necessary' to defend itself against aggression: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel would do whatever was necessary to protect its sovereignty and security.Netanyahu's statement comesafter an anti-aircraft fire downed an Israeli warplane returning from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria earlier in the day.

In a video statement in English, Netanyahu said he held Iran and Syria responsible for the day's aggression. In a separate statement in Hebrew, he added that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and both agreed to continue coordination between the two states' armies, according to Reuters.

The F-16, one of at least eight Israeli planes despatched in response to what Israel said was an Iranian drone's incursion into its airspace earlier in the day, was hit by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile and crashed in northern Israel, an Israeli official told Reuters. Both pilots ejected and were injured, one critically.

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Israel then launched a second and more intensive air raid, hitting what it said were 12 Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria, including Syrian air defence systems.